CULTURAL CHANGE AS A
FUNCTION OF TOURISM
Tourism is often attacked as one
cause of cultural decl
ine in Thailand. Some rituals, ceremonies and
cultural events have beco
me commercialized and
have turned into a kind of
show business where the focus
is making money; this is
perceived by some as being caused, or pa
rtially caused, by tourism. While it is
undeniably true that the tast
es of foreign tourists have
an influence on the more tangible forms of culture,
for example arts and crafts manufa
cture in Chiang Mai Province, and
that some cultural events are
organized with the express purpose of
attracting foreign tourists, it is
not correct to say that foreign
tourists have a direct bearing on
the evolution of Thai culture.